City of Salt Lake City / Forensic Scientist
Role across City of Salt Lake City
Forensic Scientist
Carry out the duties of this position in support of the agency's public mission.
5 people hold the Forensic Scientist role across 1 department in City of Salt Lake City, with a median total compensation of $78,561. Among 13 jurisdictions where this role is reported, City of Salt Lake City ranks #4 by median pay.
- Employees
- 5
- Median pay
- $78,561
- Departments
- 1
- Cross-jurisdiction
- #4 of 13
Compared with the local labor market
Forensic Scientist pay vs. the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT area
Across all employers in the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT area, the median wage for Forensic Science Technicians — about 140 people — is $71,780. City of Salt Lake City pays a median base salary of $58,100 for this role, 19% below that figure — about the 20th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where City of Salt Lake City sits in the local pay range
The bar is the range of annual wages for Forensic Science Technicians across every employer in the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows City of Salt Lake City’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Forensic Science Technicians — about 19,120 people — is $72,060. City of Salt Lake City’s median base salary is 19% below that national figure, about the 25th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at City of Salt Lake City is $78,561, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare jurisdictions
Forensic Scientist pay in other jurisdictions
Where Forensic Scientists are paid most
Median total compensation for comparable Forensic Scientist roles in other jurisdictions (highest first). Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not by identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for this role.
Within City of Salt Lake City
Department with this role
The City of Salt Lake City department holding this role
The one department in City of Salt Lake City that reports this role. The bar links to that department’s page for it.